Rollo at Play eBook

“What shall we do?” said James. “How
foolish I was to put it so near the water!”

“I think we shall contrive some way to get it,”
said Jonas.

He then sat down on the rock and looked into the water.
“We can go home and get a long pair of tongs,
and get it with them at any rate,” said he.

“O, yes,” said Rollo, “I will go
and get them;” and he ran off towards the bridge.

“No,” said Jonas, “stop; I will
try one plan more.”

So he went and cut a long straight stem of a bush,
and trimmed it up smooth, and cut the largest end
off exactly square. Then he went to a hemlock
tree near, and took off some of the gum, which was
very “sticky.” He pressed some of
this with his knife on the end of the stick.
Then he reached it very carefully down, and pressed
it hard against the half dollar; it crowded the half
dollar down into the sand, out of sight.

“There, you have lost it,” said James.

“I don’t know,” said Jonas; and
he began slowly and carefully to draw it up.

When the end of the stick came up out of the sand,
the boys saw, to their great delight, that the half
dollar was sticking fast on. They clapped their
hands, and capered about on the stone, while Jonas
gently drew up the half dollar, and put it, all wet
and dripping, into James’s hand.

The boys thanked Jonas for getting up the money, and
then they asked him to keep both pieces for them until
they went home. Then they began to think of the
wigwam again.

“We will make the window as you want it, James,”
said Rollo; “I am willing.”

“No,” said James, “I was just going
to say we would make it your way. I rather think
it would be better to make it towards the land.”

“Why can you not have two windows?” said
Jonas.

“So we can,” said both of the boys; and
they immediately went to work collecting branches
and weaving them in, leaving a space for a window
both sides. Their quarrelsome feelings were all
gone, and they talked very pleasantly at their work
until it was time for them to go home to dinner.

THE STEEPLE TRAP

[Illustration: “An escape.”]

THE STEEPLE TRAP

* * * *
*

THE WAY TO CATCH A SQUIRREL

The afternoon of the day when Rollo and his cousin
James made their wigwam in the woods by the brook,
they were at work there again, employed very harmoniously
together, in finishing their edifice, when suddenly
Jonas, who was at work in the woods at a little distance,
heard them both calling to him, in tones of surprise
and pleasure—­